Shopping, Gardening and time wasting!

As you know Tori is off to Amsterdam on Friday, anyway yesterday I realised that the suitcase we usually use for these trips is up with Kathryn!! So I had to toddle off to the shops to purchase another one, I threatened to buy a bright pink one, but came back with this...



quite funky I think, anyway Tori seems pleased! To be honest, I didn't buy just a suitcase, I was in 'Wilkinsons' (fatal) and came out with....



I was very restrained, I can assure you I could easily have spent more!! So we now have another £1 blackcurrant bush, 2 packs of 3 strawberry plants £1.50 each and a pack of chilli seeds and some big plant pots!!

So Wednesday being Chicken day, and once I was back from the shopping trip, I set off down the garden and got side tracked at the pond, my goodness what a racket those frogs make and just look at all the frogs spawn now





one of the fifteen+ frogs that I could see



there does seem to be a shortage of female frogs!
I have always had fish in this pond. We haven't added any for years they just breed!! What worries me this year is the 2 Orfe, I reckon tadpole is definately on his menu, just look at the size of him now(I say him, it could be a her!!)



this is a close up



He has got to be close to 12 inches long now, the other one is smaller, but not by much, they can really shift as well! The next pic is a general one of the pond, the thing that looks like a t-towel is the frost protection for the banana reflecting in the pond!



This pond is a dreadful time waster! Where we sit is a lovely sun trap at this time of year and is also very sheltered, I was sat here in shirt sleeves today! With a cup of coffee I could sit here for hours!

Onwards, onwards, chickens need doing, I didn't take pics today as I'm always showing them to you!! Word of warning to anyone wanting to take up garden chicken keeping............. they decimate everything, you can't have chickens free ranging and a nice garden!! (Unless you have bantams, click on Lottie's link) As I have found out! My garden used to be lovely now its a quagmire!! So hence they are shut in a run!! It is so soggy in there at the moment, I have seriously got to move them. Hubby and I where sat down by the pond at the weekend and we think we may have come up with a solution! It means losing the lawn, which there isn't alot of it left anyway! But he said those magical words, 'fit in a 2nd greenhouse'! So of course I had to take it further, why not sell our current one and BUY A BIGGER ONE!! Then we wouldn't have to get the electricians in again to do more electrics, he's thinking about it!!!!!

So after chicken cleaning, I popped into the greenhouse to pot up my strawberries and blackcurrent.They are now in pots outside, I hope thats right!



My onions are going balistic, I really don't know how long I can keep them in here



the sweetpeas are doing well,



so I have planted some more today, as my friend up the road wants some. A couple of the black hollyhock seeds I got from a friend have come through, the potatoes don't appear to have done any chitting!!!

My heated propagator disaster



I only planted them on Saturday!!!!!!!!! So I have started them again, they are far too leggy, I shall be watching them like a hawk this time!

Finally, my Christmas present from the girls has come out of the dark and is on the windowsill



Just for fun:-

GREEN

You are a very calm and contemplative person. Others are drawn to your peaceful, nurturing nature.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

Mmmmmmm! Interesting, considering I don't like the colour green!!!! Well I wouldn't have it painted in my house or wear green clothes, but its OK in the garden!!!